Contarini a S. Beneto Palace
palazzi - index
General remarks:
| Date: | 16th century |
| Architect: | Sante Lombardo ? |
| Address: | San Marco 3980 |
| Current use: | Municipal police |
| Overview map: | locate |
Description:
The palace with a rich marble façade is well conserved and was until 2002 occupied by court offices. It is also known as Palazzo Contarini Mocenigo. Usually the architecture is attributed to Sante Lombardo. The building with its typical, richly incrustated façade with a central serliana was begun around the middle of the 16th century and finished in 1566. Perhaps due to the integration of older substance, the floor plan has some particularities: a L-type portego and two enfilades around two narrow courtyards. The last floor with terrace constitutes the famous casinò. In 1833, the palace finally passed to the Mocenigo di San Staè by marriage.
Among the pictorial decoration, executed on the occasion of Giulio Contarini's marriage with Elena Morosini in 1748, are frescoes by Francesco Fontebasso and Gaspare Diziani. Carpoforo Mazzetti Tencalla created many of the stucco works. Alas, the library shared the fate of most other collections in the city and was dispersed from 1835 on.
The palace was Vivendi property and was now sold to the city administration, but remains still (August 2004) without a adequate new use.
Related buildings
Palazzo Contarini Michiel a S. Barnaba
Palazzo Corner Contarini dei Cavalli
Literature
Huse/Wolters (1996) pp. 46s, 78
Wolters (2000) p. 61
Muraro, Michelangelo. Palazzo Contarini a San Beneto, Venezia 1970
External resources
© 1999-2007 J.-Ch. Rößler
Venice architecture - palaces
